You Just Might Get It
by cedfiafics
Summary: After Cedric tries to assuage Sofia's woes about her unfair teenage life with a tale from his own teen years, Sofia remarks that she would have liked to have met the sorcerer in his youth. But one must be very careful of what one wishes when one is wearing the Amulet of Avalor... Teen Cedric/Teen Sofia, T for suggestive language
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

AN: So this story was originally meant the be a oneshot but I just couldn't convey everything I wanted into one little chapter. I have no idea how long this story will grow but hopefully it won't be too long, as I have a few other fics in the works and don't want to bog myself up with too many stories at once.

A couple things; I absolutely love the idea of "Daddy-issues Sofia" (what I call any pairing where Cedric is significantly older than our dear, beloved princess,) but I've kind of been playing around with the idea of the two of them being around the same age and ways for that to happen within the existing universe. Thus, you have this story. Also, there is a group mentioned in this story that will play a much bigger role in future works. They're called the Wizards of Wisteria and I wanted them to be sort of like the Order of the Wand but not necessarily for good/evil sorcerers.

Anyhow, please enjoy! Any reviews would be greatly appreciated!

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"It isn't fair, Mr. Cedric..." Sofia whined as she barged into the sorcerer's workshop with an admittedly dramatic sigh. She had previously been complaining of her plight to Baileywick who had been listening in disinterest until his duties as castle steward pulled him onto other far more important things. Now with none of her animal companions in sight and Violet gone to accompany Amber she found herself in Cedric's workshop looking for a sympathetic ear. She knew very well that she might not find one there but it never hurt to try so she crossed the room quickly and flung herself across the top of Cedric's desk despite the paperwork all strewn about. "Do you know where my family is right now?"

Cedric let out a small snort as he stood from the stool he had been seated on and walked over to shoo the princess off of his work space. "I imagine they're well on their way to Rudistan by now. King Magnus' annual ball?"

"Yes." Sofia said with a huff. "Every year he throws that silly ball and every year I'm not invited..."

"It's not a slight against you, Princess. You're simply not old enough to attend." Cedric said, taking the princess' hands in his to pull her up off the desk. "Quite frankly, I don't blame him for setting an age limit. Nobody wants to attend a ball with a bunch of impudent children running about and teenagers are by far the worst, present company excluded, of course."

Sofia crossed her arms and chewed the inside of her cheek. She knew Cedric was right, that she was taking the whole ordeal personally when in reality it was nothing personal at all. King Magnus had held a grand ball every year for his birthday and only those aged eighteen and older were eligible to attend. The strict age limit had never been a problem for Sofia before because she'd always had the comfort of James and Amber's company while their parents attended the ball. This year, however, her brother and sister were finally old enough to attend and they were both eager to do so. This gave her a feeling of being left out which was not something she handled well.

"It still isn't fair." Sofia continued to complain. At least Cedric seemed willing to nurture her self pity; best to take advantage of it while she could before he got annoyed and kicked her out of the work shop. "I feel like I'm very mature for my age. I should be able to attend."

Cedric couldn't help the chuckle that rose in his throat at Sofia's words. Perhaps at one time the princess had been quite mature for her age but hormones and teenage angst had since shuffled the cards a bit. "Princess, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but... well, you're not quite as mature as you should be. Actually, that's not accurate. You're just as mature as you should be for a sixteen year old, but therein lies the problem. King Magnus doesn't want anyone who acts like a sixteen year old flitting about his party. You have a bit more growing up to do and that isn't a bad thing. You just need to be patient."

"You're right, Mr. Cedric." Sofia muttered as she moved to take a seat on a nearby stool. "I know I shouldn't be upset. I know it's nothing personal and that I'll be old enough to attend in a few years. I just... I feel so left out."

Cedric's ears perked at Sofia's words. The princess felt excluded and that was a feeling he knew all too well. He didn't like to think of anyone experiencing such anguish, especially Sofia. Although the dynamics of their relationship had drastically changed as the girl grew into a young woman, Cedric still cared a great deal for her and he wanted to alleviate her sorrows. He knew how it might look to outside eyes; the royal sorcerer fraternizing with the king's teenage daughter behind closed doors. It was scandalous even if it was entirely innocent. That was why he'd been keeping her at arms length for the past few years.

Despite his better judgment, however, he reached for the stool he'd previously been seated upon and pulled it up beside the princess. "I'd like to tell you a story."

Sofia looked to Cedric with wide, excited eyes. As a child she had always adored any story he'd told her but in recent years he'd been tight-lipped and standoffish. There seemed to be a glimmer of their old friendship in his eyes, though he kept them averted from her face. "What's the story about?"

"About myself." Cedric replied before pausing in thought. "Well, I suppose it's about my whole family, really. As you know, I was never looked on very fondly by my father. Every minute error was a glaring mistake in his eyes and he made sure to remind me of it near daily but there was never a time where his disappointment with me was more painfully obvious than when it came time for the Sorcerer's Soirée. It's an annual event much like the Conjurer's Conference only far more exclusive. It's held by an elite group known as The Wizards of Wisteria."

"You've told me about them." Sofia interjected, eager to demonstrate some of the knowledge she'd gained from the man over the years. "They're a group of wizards who use wands made from a magical wisteria tree found on the Mystic Isles."

"Yes." Cedric replied with an amused smile. "And the Sorcerer's Soirée is a strictly invitation only event. You must either be a member of The Wizards of Wisteria or be invited by someone who is in order to attend. Every year for as long as I can remember my parents would head off leaving Cordelia and me behind to wallow in our own self-pity. I wanted so badly to attend but I understood why I couldn't... until my parents began taking Cordelia with them, that is."

Sofia's heart sank as Cedric's brow crinkled at the painful memory. "That must've really hurt."

"That is the understatement of the century, my dear." Cedric replied with a sigh. "But it never bothered me quite as badly as when I became a teenager. I kept telling myself as a boy that surely my father would bring me along once I matured a bit. But as the years ticked by from fourteen to fifteen to sixteen I still found myself left behind while Cordelia got to attend. It was infuriating and heartbreaking all at the same time and I handled it far less gracefully than you're handling your similar situation. Imagine something akin to your sister's tirade the time she threw that masquerade ball of hers and your brother showed up wearing a full-body costume."

Sofia couldn't help but giggle at the idea of Cedric throwing a massive tantrum like Amber had thrown the night of that particular ball. Amber had been very adamant that formal attire was required but James, in typical James fashion, had deliberately ignored her and went dressed as a knight, complete with authentic armor, shield and sword. Amber had screamed for what felt like an hour straight, stomping and thrashing until she expended every last ounce of energy she had. She hadn't even been able to enjoy her own party for her anger.

Sofia looked Cedric up and down, trying hard to imagine the man behaving in such a way but it was hard to envision. She cocked an eyebrow and gave him a skeptical glance. "Are you sure you aren't exaggerating just to get your point across?"

Cedric let out a hearty laugh in response and shook his head as he stood. "I only wish that were the case. I'm afraid I was as monstrous on occasion as your sister can be when something upsets her."

"It sounds like you were _quite_ the sour little sorcerer." Sofia said in jest, much to Cedric's chagrin. He turned his back to her and resumed his earlier task but she could tell by the redness of his ears that she'd embarrassed him with her quip. She watched him in silence for a long while before tilting her head ever so slightly to the side as a curiosity overtook her. "Mr. Cedric, what were you like when you weren't upset?"

Cedric tensed at the princess' question. It wasn't one he wanted to answer because he knew the truth might disappoint her. By the time he'd hit puberty he had already resolved to devise a way to take over the kingdom. It was true that those desires were long dead and buried but it made him nervous to remind anyone of his less than savory past deeds, especially her. He inhaled sharply and whirled around to face the princess, forcing a smile to his face. "That will have to be a story for another time."

Sofia sighed and slid off the stool where she had planted herself. She was wise enough now to know when she was being dismissed and she knew she had been lucky for Cedric to let her stay as long as he had. She started reluctantly toward the exit but paused to cast the man a farewell glance. "Thank you for letting me vent... and thank you for sharing your story. I wish I'd been able to meet you as a teenager, Mr. Cedric."

Cedric snickered and gave the princess a small wave as she exited the room, closing the door behind her. "You should thank your lucky stars that you didn't, my dear. You wouldn't have liked me very much."


	2. Reprise

AN: This chapter gave me a little bit of hell but I think I like it anyway. As I reread some parts I can't help but wonder if I need to bump the rating up to M... let me know what you think.

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It was the middle of the night when Sofia awoke groggily to the sound of a voice calling her name from somewhere but in her clouded state she couldn't make out a direction. It took a moment for the fog from her sleep to clear before she sat up, realizing the voice was coming from outside her window. It sounded familiar, though it was hard to really tell due to the muffled quality the thick drapes afforded. She slid her feet into the slippers at her bedside and started languidly toward the window. A clumsy hand reached and failed to clasp at the drapes and her frustration with the ordeal was beginning to grow. Finally she was able to pull the fabric back enough to peer out the window and see Wormwood flapping frantically to and fro.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to keep steady eyes on the raven dashing about in the moonlight. Were it not for the gleam of light on his wings she would have lost sight of him against the blackened sky. "Wormwood? What's the matter?"

But whatever response may have come was lost to her. The feeling of a hand slipping over her mouth and the icy steel of a dagger being placed against her throat caused her heart to pound in her ears, drowning out any other outside noise

She felt the sensation of warm breath against her ear. It carried on it a demand but her heart was still pounding too erratically to hear. She swallowed hard and did her best to calm herself so that she could make out what was being spoken. It took a few deep breaths but finally the beat of the muscle in her chest gave way the purr of words coming from her assailant's mouth.

"I don't want to hurt you, princess. But make no mistake I'll do so if necessary." His voice came, soft but stern. "Raise your hands very slowly to the clasp of your necklace and remove it for me."

Her breath caught in her throat at the words. The voice was unmistakably Cedric's, though it was a few octaves higher than normal. It carried with it a dark tone that frightened her in a way she'd never been frightened before and she felt herself begin to tremble. She raised a quivering hand up to the appendage covering her mouth and grasped it, pulling it away with a quick tug. "Mr. Cedric, please. A-after everything we've been through-"

" _After everything we've been through.._." He mocked, mimicking the sorrowful voice of the girl as he forced his hand back over her mouth. "Who do you think you're trying to fool, Matilda?"

Sofia's eyes grew wide at the name Cedric used. She was terribly confused but she didn't let it distract her from her plan to escape the situation. She opened wide to bite down hard on the hand covering her mouth, the action of which caused the dagger in his other hand to clatter to the floor. She fumbled in the darkness in an attempt to find the weapon, if only to keep it out of Cedric's possession. Her fingers found the blade just as she felt two strong hands pushing her backward.

She stumbled back and caught herself on the drapes. The tug was enough to bring the large metal rod clattering down upon her, curtains and all. She tried to fight her way out from under all the heavy fabric until she felt it being torn from her form. The next thing she saw was Cedric's face contorted in rage but it soon gave way to a look of shock.

"Y-you're not Matilda." Cedric rasped, the moonlight now flooding the room to illuminate an unfamiliar looking girl.

Sofia's chest heaved as her eyes adjusted to the new light. There was no doubt that it was Cedric standing in front of her but there was something decidedly different about his appearance. He seemed frailer than he had been earlier in the evening and the silvery tufts of hair that served as his bangs were now much longer, framing his face and giving it a more angular look. "Mr. Cedric, what's going on?"

"Why are you calling me that?" He asked with a light growl. "You're not that much younger than me. And how do you know my name anyhow? What are you doing in Princess Matilda's room? Just who are you, girl?"

Sofia blinked up at Cedric in uncertainty before pushing the heavy curtain rod off her lap. "Which question do you want me to answer?"

"All of them, you twit." Cedric snapped.

Sofia's chest shuddered at the harshness of Cedric's tone. She pushed off of the floor to regain her footing and took a deep breath. "My name is Sofia and this isn't Princess Matilda's room anymore. It's mine."

"Since when?" Cedric asked incredulously.

"It's been my room for years, Mr. Cedric." Sofia said, her voice quaking. "Don't you remember?"

"How could I remember something that's clearly a lie?" Cedric retorted, stepping closer to the girl before him. "Where is Matilda? Where is her amulet?"

"Th-the amulet!" Sofia gasped in realization before her hand wrapped instinctively around the necklace. "This is what I wished for..."

Cedric's gaze narrowed on the girl and the surprised look on her face. "What are you babbling about?"

"How old are you, Cedric?" Sofia asked, reaching out to clasp Cedric by his arms.

"I'm seventeen." He muttered, shaking the girl's hands from his body. "What does it matter to you?"

"I did this." Sofia whispered, half mortified and half impressed that she'd been able to change Cedric from an adult to a teenager with the help of the Amulet of Avalor. "This is incredible! It's you! But it isn't you... but it _is_."

Cedric's eyebrow cocked involuntarily at the ramblings of the girl before him. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"Cedric!" Sofia lurched forward and clasped the boy by his shoulders. Her fear and confusion had melted away to pure excitement as she tried to think how best to explain things to him. "You're not really seventeen. I mean, you _are_ right now, but in actuality you're much older. I just made you seventeen accidentally. Well, the Amulet of Avalor did. But-"

"The Amulet of Avalor?" Cedric spoke, his eyes flashing as they fell over the necklace dangling precariously above the cleavage peeking out from the girl's nightgown. It's appearance had changed since he'd seen it last but there was no mistaking it was certainly the jewel in question. "How did you come to own that necklace?"

"It's a long story." Sofia said, letting her hands slide down his arms to cup his hands. "Come sit! I have so many questions for you!"

Cedric watched bemusedly as the girl pulled him over to the bed where she forced him to sit. She dropped to her knees and began digging under the frilly bed skirt as though she was looking for something. As her hair fell forward he spotted the clasp of her necklace but she whipped back up before he had the chance to reach for it. She brought with her what appeared to be a wand box and once she opened it she produced a fair little wand fit for her dainty hands.

He hadn't expected her to know how to use the item so it came as a bit of a surprise when she gave light to all the lamps in the room with a flick of her wrist. His brow raised in interest at the girl as she replaced the wand back in its box. "You're an enchantress?"

Sofia giggled wildly and kicked her feet as she plopped down on the bed a healthy distance away from the teenage boy. "No, I'm not an enchantress. I'm a princess, though I might add that I'm _quite_ skilled in magic thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" Cedric looked the girl up and down, clenching his fists at his sides. "You had better start saying something that makes sense."

Sofia sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was admittedly a bit giddy over the whole situation. After all, it wasn't every day that one had the opportunity to meet the younger version of their mentor and there was _never_ an occasion where she was alone in her bedroom with a seventeen year old boy. It all left her too squirrelly for her own good so she tried to calm herself. Another slow inhale and exhale seemed to do the trick. "Okay. This may all sound very strange to you but you're not really a seventeen year old. I think the Amulet of Avalor turned you into your seventeen year old self because I wished for it."

"You... wished for it?" Cedric asked, none of his confusion being alleviated at all.

"It's complicated." Sofia said with a sigh. "The Amulet of Avalor allows me to do things that normally would be impossible without the use of spells or potions. I'm honestly still trying to figure out how it works now. It never used to be this way. It used to-"

"Get to the part where you tell me why you wished for me to be seventeen." Cedric interrupted, growing impatient.

"Oh, right." Sofia nodded. "Well, earlier this evening we were in your workshop and we were discussing some things. You were telling me about a problem you had when you were younger that was similar to a problem I was facing. You gave me a small glimpse into what you were like when you were around my age but I wanted to know more. When I was leaving I told you I wished I'd been able to meet you as a teenager and I guess the amulet just took it upon itself to make it happen."

"I see." Cedric replied, though he'd truthfully been tuning in and out of listening while she spoke. His eyes were fixated on the amulet resting happily on her bosom. It was so closely in reach but he likely wouldn't have the chance to sneak up on her again and being a princess, there were probably guards waiting to come if she cried out for help. He would have to be tactful. He needed to keep her talking. Needed to distract her. "I assume that I'm your magic teacher then."

"More of a mentor, really." Sofia said, thinking on their relationship for a moment. "But we're so much closer than that. At least... we used to be."

A wide smile spread across Cedric's face as a distinct look of sorrow flooded the girl's features. He'd found an in. "We're not close anymore? Why not?"

"I don't fully understand it." Sofia spoke softly. "I mean, I do when it comes down to brass tacks. I understand _why_ we shouldn't be close. Appearances and all that. We never really spoke about it like this. It was always sort of an unspoken understanding that things had to be a certain way because of who I am and who you are. But still-"

"It's unfair." Cedric cooed, trying to play on the girl's attachment to a version of himself that she felt she could trust. "When two people are close like that they shouldn't be kept apart."

"I agree." Sofia replied. There was a strange, almost tickling sensation crawling over her flesh as she felt Cedric's gaze wash over her. He was certainly different from the adult Cedric in a way she couldn't describe. More alluring, perhaps? Yes, certainly _that_ but something else too. Something she couldn't put her finger on. She tried to shake her thoughts and continue the conversation at hand. "B-but you know, you're really the only one who keeps us apart. Nobody has ever told me I shouldn't be alone with you. I suppose nobody ever needed to tell me. I'm not dumb. I know we shouldn't be alone together."

"We're alone together right now." Cedric said, his voice scarcely above a whisper. "Tell me something, Princess. If you got to have your say how would things be between us? Would we be close friends again? Thick as thieves? Or perhaps something a bit more... tangible?"

Sofia's face flushed at the boy's words.

It wasn't a foreign idea to her, Cedric and herself. She wasn't without basest instincts, after all, and she'd allowed her mind to wander on more than one occasion. The thoughts had started out innocently enough in her early teens but as she grew older and her innocence gave way to secret lecherous desires she began to have fully vivid fantasies. They would always come at the most inopportune times, usually at some banquet or gathering where Cedric would perform for the guests and she would serve as his lovely and anxious assistant. Their nearness in those moments would cause her to ache in unmentionable places but with onlookers everywhere it was impossible to do anything other than fantasize. Any other time, however, he would chase her from his workshop, claiming to be busy even when she knew he wasn't and for a while the reveries would cease to exist.

She was in a constant battle with herself over what she truly felt and what was just a symptom of overactive hormones. But now as she sat in the privacy of her room with a version of Cedric who seemed to have little regard for proprieties those lustful feelings caused her loins to tighten in anticipation of what could be.

"I-I suppose I fancied the idea." Her voice cracked as she shifted a bit on the bed. "You've been the one constant man in my life, my brother and father aside, of course."

"Of course." Cedric purred. "And it's only natural to feel that way. After all, we've been close for years it seems."

A lump rose in Sofia's throat as she watched Cedric pull his legs up underneath him. He rose to his hands and knees, eyes intent on her as he began crawling forward. She could feel her heart pounding again, the drumming in her ears almost deafening. "C-Cedric wh-"

"Shh." He silenced her with a finger to her lips before leaning forward to replace the digit with his mouth. He could detect the tremble of her body almost immediately. He forced back a smile and moved to deepen the kiss by parting his lips and hoping that she followed suit. Her inexperience was obvious as he slid his tongue in to taste her mouth, her own wet muscle standing virtually still as his danced around hers. He pulled back, nipping at the flesh of her chin momentarily before nibbling his way along her jawline to her ear. "Don't be so timid, Princess."

Yes, this Cedric was very much a different person from his adult counterpart. He was far more forward than she would have ever expected. The warmth of his breath against her flesh seemed to set her on fire. She gasped into open air as she felt his mouth press onto her throat. An involuntary moan escaped her parted lips as he trailed his way down her neck. It felt so wonderfully debauched, she could hardly stand it. She knew she had to get ahold of her senses before things went past the point of no return. "Cedric, we shouldn't be doing this."

"I won't go too far." He crooned against her neck. "Please don't stop me now."

It was hard to deny him. The feel of his skin against hers was too tantalizing and he'd only just begun. She was struggling to keep her whits about her and she knew it would only be harder the further they went. "I'm afraid that if we don't stop now we won't stop until-"

"Will you relax?" Cedric hissed in mild frustration. "I'm not going to take your precious virginity."

"Y-you're not?" Sofia croaked out in relief; though, truth be told, there was a hint of disappointment as well.

"No." He whispered as he pulled back from the girl and shifted to remove the mountains of pillows she was leaning against. He positioned himself behind her and brushed her hair over to one shoulder. "I just want to enjoy you while I can. One is so rarely presented the opportunity to revel in the company of a beautiful girl such as yourself."

 _And_ he was a smooth talker to boot. Oh dear sweet goodness, she'd gotten herself in over her head. She couldn't fight the whimper of pleasure that her vocal cords let slip as his head dipped down and he reclaimed her throat against his mouth.

His arms were wrapped securely around her waist, legs on either side of her with something firm and intriguing pressed roughly against her backside. She wasn't so naïve as to be unaware of exactly _what_ it was... rather she was quite conscious of it but pretended to be oblivious. If she acknowledged his throbbing need she would also have to acknowledge his want for release and she was far too shy to attempt anything even remotely close to trying to gratify him.

Kissing was fine, though. Kissing she could handle.

As if he'd read her mind, his tongue darted out to taste the nape of her neck and she squirmed in reaction. She could feel his hands beginning to slide then, the right one trailing up to grope at her breasts through her nightgown while the left slipped between her thighs. She cried out in shock but tried to keep her voice hushed as he continued to kiss the back of her neck. "C-Cedric! You r-really shouldn't be doing th-thaaaat!"

He either didn't hear her or he didn't care; likely the latter. She fidgeted against his touch, wishing that he would cease his titillating tirade on her body while simultaneously hoping he'd forge on like a sultry male character in one of the secret smutty novels Amber kept hidden under her bed.

His left hand was well on its way to slipping into her bloomers when the feeling of something falling into her lap caused them both to freeze. His right hand fell to her lap faster than her own could and he grasped what he'd found there. She felt him moving out from behind her, placing now gentle kisses as he went.

"You know, I think you're right, Princess. We should take things slowly. I'm so sorry to have disturbed your linens." Cedric spoke sweetly. "I should probably leave you be."

"Cedric, what did you take from my lap?" Sofia asked, the boy's sudden change in tune disconcerting. Only moments ago he seemed ready to throw her down to the mattress and show her all the things she'd privately fantasized about for so long. Now he was slinking away with an item that seemed to have dropped out of nowhere.

"It was my earring. It fell out." He replied with a charming smile as he made his way for the door. "I'd better go replace it at once, otherwise I'm bound to mislay it."

Cedric was lying. She knew it immediately. She had spent more than enough time examining the man up close when the opportunity was afforded to her and she had never noticed any sign that his ears had ever been pierced. She crawled to the edge of the bed as he continued away, trying to catch a glimpse of just what was clenched in his hand. That was when she noticed an odd sensation, or the lack there of. There was no amulet dangling from around her neck.

Her eyes widened and she bolted from the bed but Cedric was already out of the room before she could reach the door. By the time she flung the door open and stepped out into the hall she saw that Cedric was gone.

A feeling of guilt mixed with horror flowed over her as she realized she had allowed herself to be manipulated by the boy. She couldn't believe she had been so foolish as to fall for his charms and leave herself and the amulet exposed. Rather than despair, however, she clenched her fists at her sides and marched off to locate the young sorcerer before he could do any damage.

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AN #2: So I have this great side story in my head for how Amber got her hands on her secret stash of dirty novels but it's not going to get written. Basically, she dresses down to peasant clothes and sneaks to the book shop where she accidentally runs into Cedric in the morally questionable section of the store. Mortified at having been caught, she decides to blackmail him before he can do the same to her (though he really doesn't care one way or the other.) As part of their deal she asks that he purchase the novels for her so she doesn't need to risk getting caught and the part of him that delights in the idea of depravity and moral ambiguity is all too happy to contribute to her corruption.


	3. Witchy Business

AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews so far! They've been most helpful in the ratings department as well as great inspiration for me. I just love reading all your input!

A bit about this chapter: So in my head cannon there is a very big difference between witches/warlocks and sorcerers/sorceresses. Witches and warlocks are born with their powers fully attuned while sorcerers and sorceresses, even those born from long practicing magical families, don't have powers from birth and must attain them by means of practice. Thus I imagine there's this sort of friction between the two different classifications of magic users; both feeling a sense of superiority over the other given how their powers are attained (either by birth right or good old fashioned hard work.) This is all irrelevant except to explain Lucinda's dislike of Cedric and vice-versa.

I split this chapter into two bits because it started to grow on the exceptionally long side. The second half has a bit more editing in order before it can be posted so expect it soon, just not _too_ soon.

Once again, thank you to those who've taken the time to review. It means so much and I hope to hear from you soon. :) Please enjoy!

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"Would you mind telling me why I had to fly all the way here in the middle of the night?" Lucinda asked with arms crossed over her chest. "And why you sent this insufferable raven to fetch me when you could have sent someone more a bit more agreeable?"

"I'm so sorry, Lucinda." Sofia said in a hushed voice as she ushered the witch into the castle. "I didn't know who else to turn to and I really need your help. Wormwood was the only one I could trust at the moment."

"Yes, well, she hasn't quite learned her lesson about trust this evening." Wormwood added dryly.

Sofia flushed brightly at Wormwood's words but ignored him and pulled Lucinda with her. "I have an emergency and you're the best magic user I know."

"Oh really?" Lucinda asked with a wide smirk. "Better than your beloved _Mr._ _Cedric_?"

Sofia cast her eyes away from Lucinda and tugged the other girl with her hurriedly to her bedroom. Once they were safely inside she closed the door and pressed herself against it. "Mr. Cedric _is_ the emergency I need help with. Something... happened."

Lucinda stared at Sofia, examining the girl's paler than normal face. She was avoiding eye contact and looked terribly guilt ridden. "Pentacles and pendulums! You either bedded him or killed him!"

"N-neither!" Sofia cried out before slapping a hand over her own mouth to quiet herself down. "It wasn't like that. Nothing happened. N-nothing too serious anyhow."

Lucinda's nose crinkled at the princess' words. "Look, I know you have some weird fascination with the guy but he's practically old enough to be your father and you're only sixteen. If he took advantage-"

"I'm sixteen and a half." Sofia corrected. "And you're misunderstanding. Mr. Cedric would never do anything to take advantage of me. The other Cedric, though..."

" _Other_ Cedric?" Lucinda asked, slightly mortified at the idea. "Is there a duplicate Cedric running around?"

"Not exactly." Sofia said, wringing her hands together. She was afraid to tell Lucinda just exactly what had occurred but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to get the help she needed if she wasn't entirely honest with the girl. "I-I was having a moment earlier today where I was feeling sorry for myself and I went to talk to Mr. Cedric because nobody else seemed to be available. He tried to cheer me up by telling me about the same sort of problem he'd had at my age. Thinking about what Mr. Cedric might have been like back then made me wish that I could have met him when he was a teenager. The Amulet of Avalor made it happen, I think. I'm not entirely sure but I can't imagine Mr. Cedric doing it to himself."

"So there's a teenage Cedric running around?" Lucinda asked, looking over both shoulders as if he were in the room with them. "That's discomforting."

"He had no recollection of who I am or even of his adult self." Sofia continued. "It's like the only memories he has are from when he was a boy here in the castle, almost as if he'd been plucked straight out of time."

"It was definitely your amulet then." Lucinda said in thought. "If it was a simple youth spell or potion only his body would have changed. His mind would have remained the same and he'd know who you are. At least you can reverse it."

"You know a spell?" Sofia asked hopefully.

"A spell?" Lucinda replied with a scoff. "Of course not! If I were to use a spell or a potion on him now he would merely age from the state he's currently in. That means he would return to his rightful age but his memories and all his past experiences would be gone. You'll have to use your amulet to turn him back."

"That will pose a problem." Wormwood chimed in, having listened to the exchange in only mild interest until a solution was being discussed. "He has the amulet."

"What?" Lucinda's eyes darted from the raven to her friend's sheepish face. "How did that happen?"

"Oh, _do tell_ , Princess." Wormwood said in a droll tone.

Sofia's cheeks reddened and she cast her eyes downward. "When he first came to me he was looking for the amulet. He thought I was my Aunt Tilly and he was... kind of scary. But he sort of changed when he saw I wasn't her and I was initially just so excited that my amulet had turned him into a teenager. I wanted to ask him as much as I could about himself but I never got the chance to before he-"

"Before he shoved his tongue down her throat and distracted her long enough to get the amulet off of her." Wormwood finished, growing impatient. "So now he has the amulet and we have no idea where he is."

"I've looked all over the castle." Sofia said in worry. "He's not in his workshop or any of the normal places I can think to find him. I haven't alerted the guards because I don't want anyone getting hurt. I really don't know what he's capable of but I don't think he'd go down without a fight. I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to him."

"Mmm hmm..." Lucinda hummed, looking the princess over knowingly. "Well, finding him is something I can definitely help you with. I'll just need something that came from him. You know, the usual stuff. Blood, hair... saliva from somewhere on your body."

Sofia's already blushing face turned an even brighter shade of crimson and she turned away from the witch in a panic. "I think he might have a hairbrush somewhere in his workshop."

"Oh?" Lucinda asked mockingly. "You mean you don't want to grab some pubic hairs from your bed?"

Wormwood let out a sardonic laugh at Lucinda's words. "You know, at first I was opposed to involving a witch but I find I rather like this one."

"Oh hush, both of you." Sofia muttered under her breath as she exited her room in a hurry. She made her way down the hall toward the tower that housed Cedric's workshop, hoping beyond all hope that they weren't too late to prevent him from doing any irreversible damage with the amulet.

Once they reached the workshop she threw the door open, searching frantically for anything that might contain a fragment of Cedric on it.

Lucinda let out a snort and rolled her eyes as she entered the workshop and looked around. "How does he get any work done in these cleanly conditions? Magic isn't supposed to be so... clinical."

"He never used to be so tidy." Sofia replied as she continued opening drawers and boxes in search of a hairbrush she was certain she'd find. "But I suppose over time that changed once I became his apprentice."

Lucinda's eyes darted all over before falling on a table full of beakers, tubes and retorts. "Is this where he makes his potions? I won't be able to use these."

"There's a cauldron on the desk over there." Sofia said, motioning to the work space under the arch near the bookshelf.

Lucinda's nose curled at the sight of the small cauldron positioned on the desk, collecting dust as though it was a relic and not an important tool. "I suppose it will do in lieu of a proper cauldron. I'll need use of his supplies as well."

"Help yourself to whatever you need." Sofia replied. "Just pull that sconce on the wall by the bookshelf."

"Princess, you know Cedric will _not_ be happy to learn that you let a witch in here to rifle through his belongings." Wormwood said in a low voice.

Sofia grumbled under her breath and cast the bird an annoyed glance. "I'm not all too concerned with that at the moment, Wormwood. If you want to be helpful you could tell me where Mr. Cedric keeps his hairbrush."

"In his bedroom, of course." Wormwood said, motioning toward the entrance to the room.

"His bedroom?" A blush came over Sofia's face all over again at the idea of seeing where Cedric spent his most private time. It was the one room in the castle she'd never laid eyes on, though she'd always been quite curious about it. She made her way toward the room tentatively, breath catching in her throat as she debated on whether or not to enter.

"Just go in already." Lucinda said, sending Sofia a devious smile. "I'm sure it's not the last time you'll be setting foot in there."

Sofia huffed at the witch's remark but didn't say anything in rebuttal. She turned back toward the room and stepped in, determination painted on her face.

The first thing she noticed about the room was that it was strikingly small. There was enough room for a bed, a dresser and a desk space without leaving the room feeling too cluttered, though she couldn't help but wonder if maybe her closet was actually bigger. It was a modest room but it seemed to fit Cedric just perfectly when she really thought about it.

She stepped over to the desk. Laying next to a small round mirror was his hairbrush. Success. She reached for the object eagerly until her eyes fell on a book left open faced only inches away. It wasn't that she was trying to peek. It was just that her name written there seemed to jump off the page and grab her attention. She realized almost immediately that the book was likely Cedric's journal. Cedric's _private_ journal. Cedric's _private and she had no business reading it_ journal.

The thought that Cedric had written her name there on the page was almost enough for her to snatch the book from the desk and delve straight into what he'd put there but she didn't want to betray any amount of trust he may have had in her. She tore her eyes away from the book and grabbed the brush, walking with a purpose back to the workshop and over to where Lucinda stood above the tiny cauldron, a look of perturbment on the witch's face.

"I had to make due." Lucinda said with a sigh. "I can't believe he doesn't have any eye of newt."

Sofia plucked a strand of hair from the brush and held it out to Lucinda. "Will this work?"

"It should." Lucinda said as she took the strand from the princess and dropped it carefully into the potion in the cauldron.

Sofia held her breath and stood back, watching the cauldron eagerly. After a moment the potion inside began to bubble, changing color from green to red and finally purple before the hair shot back out, gleaming as brightly as the sun. "Now what?"

"Hold out your hand and say _absconditus aperio_." Lucinda replied.

Sofia raised her hand hesitantly up into the air and repeated the words. " _Absconditus aperio_." She watched as the hair seemed to flash with an even brighter light. It then began whirling around, entangling itself on her finger. When the light faded it left a silver ring in its place, inlaid with a small bauble that shone a pale light in a single direction.

"The light will guide us." Lucinda explained. "It will lead us directly to him. Its brightness will increase or decrease depending on our proximity to him. Unfortunately, it only works in close contact. If he gets too far away we'll have to use a much more powerful spell and it will take a hell of a lot more than a single hair and some newt substitute."

"So basically we've only really got one shot at this." Sofia said, nodding to herself. "No pressure."

The princess started off back down the tower stairs with Lucinda and Wormwood trailing behind. The light from the bauble seemed to be growing brighter as they went along down empty corridors in search of Cedric. Sofia realized after a short time that the light appeared to be leading them to an attic space in the west wing of the castle. They kept their old belongings up there so as not to intrude on Sir Dax in the other attic space.

"I should have known." Wormwood said as they reached the top of a set of stairs. "Cedric always used to come up here to hide when people were looking for him."

"He did?" Sofia looked up at the door quietly, a feeling of sadness overwhelming her at the idea of Cedric feeling like he needed to hide, especially in a dusty old attic. "Why?"

"Most of the time it was to avoid his father." Wormwood replied. "But sometimes he wanted to avoid his mother and sister as well as the royal family. I suppose he wanted to hide from everyone at some point. He would come up here to sulk and feel sorry for himself when something in his life went wrong, which was almost daily, mind you. He hated for people to see him when he cried."

"He cried?" Sofia whispered, raising her hand to rest it on the door.

"Oh, all the time." Wormwood muttered. "It was insufferable, really. He tried to act so much stronger than he actually was. He was quite good at masking that he was nothing more than a sniveling child aching for approval he'd never receive."

Sofia stared forward up at the door, thoughts swirling through her mind. She never imagined Cedric as the type of person to _ever_ cry. True, he was often times moody and rarely appeared happy about anything but to outright cry over his troubles seemed like something unheard of.

It was then she realized what it was she couldn't place her finger on about this youthful Cedric. Bravado. He had been exuding an overwhelming amount of false confidence, a tool which the older Cedric seemed to no longer have much need for. His bold actions and silver tongue were little more than an act put on to cover up something much more profound under the surface.

She took a deep breath and clenched her fists at her sides, knowing fully what her next move would be. "I think I'm ready."

"How do you wanna do this?" Lucinda asked, looking to Sofia. "I can freeze him in his spot and you can get your amulet back or we could ambush him or-"

"No." Sofia shook her head and turned to face Lucinda and Wormwood. "I don't want to do anything like that to him. I think I can handle this on my own. Thank you both so much for your help but I think I should take it from here."

Lucinda crossed her arms and looked Sofia up and down before sliding a suggestive glance Wormwood's way. "Mmm hmm..."

Sofia ignored the witch's implication and started cautiously into the attic. The light from the bauble was bright and aiming her past cobwebs and stacks of dusty furniture to an area tucked away as far as possible from the door. There, sprawled out on an old fainting sofa, Cedric lay motionless.

At first she felt alarmed that perhaps he had hurt himself while trying to use the amulet but as she tiptoed closer to him she saw that he was merely sleeping. She tucked her hand behind her back to douse the light from the ring and stared down at him quietly. He looked so handsome and vulnerable there and she couldn't help admire how innocent he looked despite the exact opposite being true.

She saw a bit of the chain that carried her amulet sticking out from his collar. If she was extremely quiet and careful she would be able to unlatch it without waking him. She reached out with a quivering hand toward his form and took a deep breath...


	4. Why Our Ribs Are Cages

AN: I feel as though I've chopped this chapter all to bits and killed every last one of my darlings. I'm still not satisfied with it but I don't think I'm going to be fully satisfied no matter what I do.

I think part of my discontent is that this chapter could have taken several far more interesting routes. I just chose the simplest one so as not to get tied up writing an unnecessarily long story for what was originally supposed to be a oneshot.

Either way, I hope you all enjoy. Thank you so much for the reviews so far! You guys really lit a fire under my ass to get this chapter edited and available to you. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

* * *

"Cedric, wake up." Sofia spoke softly as she ran her hand through his hair.

Cedric awoke with a start to the feeling of being touched. His eyes snapped open to see Sofia's face staring down at him with a warm smile. He bolted into a seated position and backed away from the girl. "How the hell did you find me?"

Sofia pulled her hand out from behind her back to display the ring made from the enchanted strand of Cedric's hair. "A location spell."

Cedric's gaze narrowed on the ring, recognizing the spell. " _Absconditus aperio_... that's old magic. I'm impressed."

"I had some help." Sofia said, taking a seat beside Cedric on the sofa. She held her hand out in his direction and stared at him seriously. "I'm going to need my amulet back now."

"I'm afraid I don't have it, darling." Cedric said, forcing his most appealing smile. "Perhaps you lost it in that hideously ill fitting circus tent you call a nightgown."

"I know you don't mean that, Cedric." Sofia said, inching closer to him. "And I know you have my amulet." She reached up and looped the chain protruding from his collar around her finger, pulling the rest of it out along with the ever important gem.

Cedric bared his teeth at the girl and grabbed her wrist. "Finders keepers. I'm sure you've heard the old adage."

"You didn't find it, you stole it." Sofia replied calmly. "And I could have very easily slipped it from your neck and took it back but I chose to wake you and ask for it back properly."

"Well, that makes you optimistic _and_ an idiot." Cedric chided. "What inside that pretty little head of yours made you think that you could just ask me for something as powerful as the Amulet of Avalor and I would simply hand it over to you?"

"Because it belongs to me." Sofia answered. "And I know you. You're a good person, Cedric. Even if you don't act like it right now."

Cedric rolled his eyes and let out a hearty chuckle. "You must be joking. You clearly don't know me at all if you think that. I've probably been putting you on for years, you imbecile."

"Stop laughing. This isn't a joke." Sofia said, her voice shifting to a much sterner tone. "You're just a teenager. You have no idea about the kind of man you grow up to be or all the great things you accomplish. Cedric, you've saved my life more times than I can count and you did it because you're a good person. It would have been easy for you to let me get hurt and take the amulet for yourself but you never did. You've always protected me."

Cedric snorted and looked down his nose at the girl. "I'm sure it must have benefited me to do so."

"Yes, it did." Sofia admitted. "But I don't think it needs to be said that it benefits a person to protect the people they care about. You and I are friends, Cedric. We have been for a long time. And I know if the adult you could see yourself right now, he wouldn't like it. I know there's good inside you and I know it's been there all along."

Cedric stared down at the princess, her eyes swimming with so much hope. He felt a slight pang in his chest at the sincerity of her gaze before brushing it away with a scoff. "You don't know anything about me."

"I know everything about you, Cedric." Sofia said, raising her hand to cup his cheek before it fell away to just her fingertips against his flesh. "At least, I thought I did. I guess I never realized how fiercely you guarded your heart because at times it seems you wear it on your sleeve. I've never really had to guess what you were feeling about things because it always seemed so obvious. But meeting you... meeting _this_ you has really expanded the way I see you as a person."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked, his brow furrowing.

"I can tell that there's a lot you keep hidden. You bury your serious feelings down inside you because it's easier to do that than face them. You only ever let people see what they need to see, just the tip of all those strong, heavy emotions that you carry around. The truth is, that river of your heart runs deep. If you keep it dammed up you're going to drown in it." Sophia whispered.

Cedric looked the girl over skeptically. "That's pure conjecture. You have no basis for that other than-"

"A little bird told me how thoroughly you hide your heart." Sofia said with a shrug. "Or a big, squawking raven. Whichever you prefer."

"Wormwood." Cedric snipped under his breath. "I should have tied his beak shut as soon as he started prattling on about how everything has changed."

"Wormwood told you?" Sofia asked in slight disbelief. True, the raven had been helping her all evening but she hadn't really thought to question it until that moment. "That actually comes as a big surprise. Wormwood has never been a fan of mine and he's always been an avid supporter of the idea of you taking over the kingdom."

"Oh yes, he mentioned my attempts at usurping the throne and how I had given up on that dream. Said something about me being happier that way." Cedric snickered at the thought. "Just another misunderstanding, I'm sure."

Sofia sighed at Cedric's reply. He was putting up a front in an effort to ignore the uncomfortable circumstances in front of him. It was time to change tactics and force him to acknowledge the reality of things. "You know, it wasn't just Wormwood who let me know there's more to you than what's on the surface. Your kiss." She said with a shy smile. "It says more than your words ever could."

"My kiss. Yes, of course." A titter escaped Cedric's lips and he gave her a dubious look. "If you came here wanting more heavy petting, my dear, all you need do is ask. I'll gladly oblige."

Sofia shook her head with a small laugh. He was still diverting the conversation away from the more serious issue she wanted to discuss, and doing it quite charmingly, it should be added. But two could easily play at his game and she suspected she might have to if she hoped to make any progress with him. A wide smile spread across her face before she made a move to crawl onto the boy's lap. She raised her hands to clasp his face and stared down at him. "Kiss me, Cedric."

Cedric cocked a curious eyebrow up at the girl now hovering above him. "If you think you're going to distract the amulet away from me-"

"Shh..." Sofia smiled and pressed her finger to Cedric's mouth, mimicking his earlier movements. She shifted her hands to lace into the hair on the back of his head and moved in to kiss him sweetly. She parted her lips and he followed suit, allowing her to attempt something similar to his earlier kiss. She let her tongue dip into his mouth, caressing his own as gently as she could muster. It felt good to kiss him that way; no hint of lustful desire to cloudy up the unabashed affection she had for him.

She felt his hands move to grasp her hips and pull her snugly against him. He was growing within his pants from their simple contact and although it lit a fire inside her to feel his length pressed between her thighs she forged on with her initial intent.

Her hands slipped down his arms to where he held her. She pulled back from the kiss momentarily to rearrange the position of his hold. She moved one hand to rest on her back while she brought the other nearer to her face, kissing it softly as she did so.

Cedric watched the girl, confusion flooding him at her actions. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm showing you how loved you are." She answered breathlessly. She leaned down to nuzzle against him before reclaiming his mouth with her own. He seemed cautious at first but as she continued her ministrations that hesitation seemed to melt away. His arms wrapped around her tighter and he began kissing her back with much more fervor.

Her fingers delved into his hair, using the locks to gently pull him deeper into the kiss they shared. His tongue was at work against hers, seemingly trying to entice something more than just the tenderness she wanted to show him. Despite the weaker part of her wanting to give in she chose to stay the course and keep things benign.

Then she heard something beautiful... he let out a whimper.

She pulled back slowly to look down on him as he heaved for breath and she noticed the distinct pinkness of a blush on his cheeks.

"Damn it all." Cedric groaned, flopping his head back onto the arm of the sofa. "You really do love me, don't you?"

"Very much." Sofia replied with a small smile. "Probably more than you'll ever know."

An irritable grumble fell from Cedric's lips at the girl's words. "You're an absolute idiot. I hope you know that. I don't know what I've done to make you feel that I'm worthy of your love and trust but that isn't the case, I can assure you. You're going to regret loving me one day."

"Maybe." Sofia said with a shrug. "But I doubt it."

Cedric stared up at the girl in silent thought. She was smiling down at him with a genuine look of adoration and he couldn't help but feel it was misplaced. Seeing her look at him like that was making him feel things he didn't want to feel so he tried to change the subject. "You know, it's not fair that you're so pretty and so sweet. It makes it hard to resist you, even in this unsavory night frock you're wearing."

Sofia tried to stifle a giggle at Cedric's words. "Make fun of my nightgown all you want. You weren't complaining about it earlier this evening."

"No, I suppose I wasn't." Cedric said, licking his lips as he eyed the girl up and down. "I'm sure you look ravishing without it."

Sofia felt her face redden at Cedric's words. She knew what he was doing. He was still trying to distract her from the serious conversation at hand but she would have none of it. She shook the thoughts his words sent dancing across her mind and brushed her fingers through his hair. "You don't have to deflect. Not with me."

"Why, my dear princess, whatever do you mean?" Cedric asked with a grin.

Sofia let out a small breath of laughter and made a tsk sound at the boy. "You know what I mean, Cedric."

He blinked up at the girl as she drew in closer, not at all expecting the tiny pecks she began planting all over his face; showering his forehead, cheeks and the tip of his nose in sweet little shows of affection. He froze beneath her, her kisses so gentle. So warm and soft and wonderful. Damn her.

"Are you trying to torture me?" He asked on a murmur, reaching up to clasp her face so she would stop kissing him and make eye contact.

"I just want you to feel loved." Sofia whispered against his lips. "To know you are loved and to know that you are a good person. You don't have to try and hide it behind a callous exterior. I can see you, the _real_ you. I love what I see... every imperfect inch of you. I think I always have. I probably always will."

Cedric stared hard at the girl. Her gaze was burrowing into his with such raw emotion. He couldn't look away, or rather, he chose not to. He lifted his head up to claim her lips with his. One careful peck led to another and another before he found himself wrapping her tightly in his embrace. He kept his eyes open to take in all that he could of her face which was regretfully not much given their proximity.

She had to be telling the truth to some extent, he reasoned. He couldn't imagine a princess risking all that she was risking if she didn't feel _something_ for him. Otherwise she could have just called the castle guards for help. She could have had him jailed, executed for his crimes. She could have simply stolen the amulet back and fixed her problem without him even knowing. She could have done everything differently and yet there she was... in his arms.

It was a place where, he was quickly finding, he wanted to keep her.

Nobody had ever given him the courtesy of anything before. Now she was giving him every courtesy she could afford and he deserved none of it. He pulled back from their kiss and looked up at her, a question nagging at the back of his mind. "Whatever did I do in my adult life to be lucky enough to earn your affection?"

Sofia righted herself on the boy's lap and stared down at him as though the answer was already obvious, though she knew he had no recollection of their time together and couldn't possibly understand how she felt. "You're my dearest friend, Cedric. You've always been there for me for as long as we've known each other. Even when you were trying to take over the kingdom my happiness and well being were still more important to you, to the point that you put aside everything else you held dear for my sake. We've been through so much together... if only you could remember that."

Cedric glanced down at the amulet around his neck before looking back up at the princess. "I suppose it would make the decision you're wanting me to make a lot easier if I could recall it all."

"I don't think it would be a tough choice for you to make if you did remember. I wish I had some way to..." Sofia trailed off before her eyes lit up brightly. "Wait, you have a journal in your bedroom!"

"You've been in my bedroom?" Cedric asked with a cocked eyebrow and devious smile. "You're secretly a naughty little imp, aren't you?"

Sofia flushed and waved her hands frantically. "No, it isn't like that! It was only just once to... n-never mind. That doesn't matter. What matters is that there is a book in your bedroom that probably details your entire life here at the castle!"

"And you want me to read it." Cedric said plainly. "You think it will change my mind about wanting the amulet."

"I think it will change your mind about a lot of things." The princess offered with a smile. "What have you got to lose?"

"My dignity." Cedric replied with a snort. "But alright, if you insist."

"Great! Let's go get it!" Sofia chimed happily but as she moved to climb off Cedric's lap she felt him grip her by her hips and pull her back down.

"Ah ah. I like you just where you are, thank you." Cedric gave the princess a quick wink to counter her look of surprise. He then reached into his sleeve to produce his most trusted wand, waving it overhead to summon the book in question. " _Acquiro libellus_."

Sofia watched as the journal materialized above them and floated down into Cedric's hands, still open to the page it had been earlier. Part of her wanted to read alongside him but she knew that would be betraying the adult Cedric's trust, even if the younger Cedric didn't care. She watched him as he flipped through the pages in disinterest before he tossed the book to the floor. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Too long." Cedric replied. "I can't possibly read it all in one night. Besides, I'd much rather look at you than a slew of boring pages. You're much easier on the eyes."

Sofia gaped, slightly annoyed with the boy despite his flirtations. She reached down and picked the journal back up to force it against him. "You don't have to read the whole thing. Just the entries from the past few years or so. _Please_ , Cedric."

Cedric looked up at the girl and her pleading eyes. He was finding it harder and harder to dismiss her. He let out an annoyed sigh and took the book from the her hands reluctantly. "Fine. But I'll need use of the light from your ring. Keep your hand right here so I can see clearly."

Sofia couldn't help the blush that came to her cheeks when Cedric took her hand delicately in his and placed it against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat under her palm, erratic despite the calm, collected look on his face. She wondered if he was always like that even in adulthood; a wild heart shrouded in an indifferent façade. She watched him anxiously over the top of the book as he read but he gave no indication about what he was feeling or thinking. He was expressionless.

Time seemed to creep by slowly and she started to lose track of how long they had been up there. Her anxiousness gave way to contentedness though, watching him as his eyes darted over the pages. There was something so soothing about seeing him disarmed in her presence, especially after he had been so on guard with her earlier.

After what felt like an eternity he lowered the book back to the ground and she looked at him hopefully. "Well?"

"I am fairly certain that I grew up to be an absolute idiot." Cedric replied. "Wormwood said I was happier this way. I don't seem happy at all according to that book. I seem like a bellyaching coward who wouldn't know a good thing if it bit him in the ass!"

"Y-you're not happy?" Sofia asked, glancing down at the book sadly. Temptation to peek was strong but she pushed it away and turned her gaze to the boy below her. She hesitated on her next words. She knew fully well what the repercussions would be if the boy mistook what she intended to say. "You know, Cedric, the Amulet of Avalor is important to me but I'd gladly let you have it if I thought that it would _truly_ make you happy."

"You just don't think it will." Cedric uttered grumpily.

"No, I don't." Sofia said softly, shaking her head. "I honestly don't know what would make you happy, but I know the amulet isn't it."

"I see." Cedric said, more to himself than the girl still seated on his lap. His hand reached to clasp the amulet and he thumbed over it in thought. "Princess, I have a question for you, purely hypothetical of course. Supposing I gave you your amulet back, what do you imagine would happen? Would you keep me around this way?"

Sofia blinked down at Cedric in shock, the question not at all what she was expecting. "I-I don't know. I mean, I would love to have you around in this way, but-"

"You wouldn't have to change me back, you know. You could keep me like this if you wanted. We could be close again." Cedric offered. "More like how we are now... but _closer_."

Sofia blushed at the thought, knowing exactly what Cedric meant. They could be lovers if she kept him in his current state. He certainly didn't seem like he would deny her like his adult counterpart did. It was an appealing proposition, there was no denying that, but in the end he wasn't the man she loved and he never would be if she allowed him to remain seventeen. "Cedric, I couldn't keep you like this. We've been through so much together and just reading it in a journal isn't the same as having lived it. I would have to return you to normal."

"I was afraid you would say that." Cedric said with a huff. "You know that's not fair, right? To either of us. If you changed me back things would only go back to how you said they were, where we're not close anymore. I know you don't want that."

"No, I don't." Sofia muttered. "But I would still have to do it. Part of everything I love about you came from your life experiences. I can't take those away from you for selfish reasons. I think the adult version of you would agree with that assessment."

Cedric crossed his arms over his chest, the princess' words not what he was hoping to hear. Still, he suspected she was probably right. She seemed to know him more thoroughly than he knew himself, even after catching a glimpse of his future self in the journal. There was still one question prying at him, however. "Sofia, do you think that I'd remember all of this if you changed me back?"

"Oh, I certainly hope not!" Sofia cried, her eyes widening in horror at the thought. While she felt comfortable confessing her feelings to this younger version of Cedric she was aghast at the idea of his adult counterpart knowing exactly how she felt. If he kept her at arms length before he surely would run screaming from her afterward.

"I would hope that I'd remember." Cedric said with a half-smile. "It would be a shame to let all those sweet kisses go to waste."

Sofia averted a worried gaze from the boy but it snapped back when she felt him lean forward, his hands suddenly at work behind her head. She looked down between them to see, much to her astonishment, that he had replaced the amulet around her neck. "Cedric..."

"Thank you, Sofia." Cedric said. "You could have handled this in so many different ways. You probably should have, honestly. Even now as I sit here I can't help but think I'm an idiot to give you your amulet back. I feel like I should snatch it off your neck so you can't turn me back into my adult self. But then again, you love that version of me. I figure that any person you could feel that strongly for can't be all that bad, can he?" He paused to snicker at his own words and rolled his eyes. "Either that or you're just as big of an idiot as I am."

"You're not an idiot, Cedric." Sofia said, reaching up to cup his cheek with care. "You're a good person. And as happy as I will be to have the adult version of you back I'm going to miss this version of you too. I haven't felt this close to you in a long time."

Cedric cast the girl a crooked smile. "So don't change me back just yet."

"I really shouldn't wait any longer than I already have." Sofia replied. She tried to hide the discouraged tone in her voice but she knew it was evident. "I'm sorry, Cedric."

The boy lulled his head to the side in disappointment but kept the smile on his face, if only for her sake. "Oh alright."

Sofia took a deep breath and raised her hand to clasp the amulet. "I wish that you would become the man I know and love again."

Cedric stared up at Sofia quietly for a long while, her eyes staring right back into his. He didn't feel any different but it was hard to be sure. Maybe his adult self felt relatively the same as his younger self did and there would be no way to tell. "How long will it take?"

"I don't know, honestly." Sofia answered, moving to climb off the boy's lap. "But now that I think about it, I should probably be gone when it happens. I shudder to think what-"

"Stay." Cedric spoke. He reached out to catch the princess' hand and pulled her back down onto him. "Please, Sofia. Stay with me until then."

She knew she shouldn't. She knew the potential for everything to blow up in her face if she stayed behind to lay with him. Still, she couldn't bring herself to leave him. She nodded slowly and rested her head on his chest. His heart was still pounding intensely within him but she found the rapid thumps comforting. She closed her eyes, allowing the sound of his beating heart to carry her off to slumber.


	5. About Last Night

AN: I'm really glad you guys seemed to enjoy the previous chapter because it gave me hell. Blood, sweat and tears went into that chapter. Blood, sweat and tears.

As for this chapter, I completely re-wrote the whole thing last night. The other version I wrote didn't feel right to me. There was a lot of bickering and Cedric being harsher than necessary and it just didn't feel like _them_ to me. Unfortunately I had to kill some great dialogue as a result (implications that Sofia really would have liked to let teenage Cedric go much further than he did and all that good stuff,) but I really think the story will be better for it if I keep it light instead of slathering on the angst.

We're drawing to the close of this little story. This will be the second to last chapter. Please enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

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Sofia let out a small groan and stretched her limbs when she awoke but as she did so she realized she wasn't in her own bed. That was when the memories of the night before flashed through her head. She sat up in a panic to find herself laying alone on the fainting sofa in the attic. She bolted up and looked around frantically but there was no sight of Cedric anywhere and the ring from Lucinda's location spell was missing from her finger.

She weaved her way through piles of furniture to the exit and rushed down the stairs in the direction of Cedric's workshop. It felt like it took an eternity to reach his tower as she hurried through the halls, dodging questions from curious members of the castle staff as she went. When she reached the foot of the stairs she kicked her slippers off and started up at a sprint. By the time she reached the door she felt as though her heart was going to beat out of her chest.

Despite her earlier eagerness her hand trembled in hesitation when she reached to open the door.

As if sensing her reluctance, the door swung open to reveal Cedric, the _adult_ Cedric, standing there staring out at her in mild surprise.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia cried out, diving against the man happily. "You're here!"

Cedric took a step backward into his workshop, unsure what to do about the princess' embrace. He allowed it momentarily before pushing her off of him. "Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"

"Nowhere I suppose." She replied, beaming up at him before worry began to flood her. "Uhm, Mr. Cedric, about last night..."

Cedric moved toward the door to the workshop and closed it quickly before turning back to face the princess. "Wormwood tells me you allowed a witch in the workshop and gave her free use of my belongings."

Sofia's eyes darted over to the raven but his head was nestled under his wing and he appeared to be sleeping, no doubt tired from their long night. "D-did Wormwood tell you _why_ I had Lucinda in here?"

"No." Cedric said as he turned away from the princess.

"Oh." Sofia let out a sigh of relief at Cedric's words. "Good. I hope you're not too mad."

"I'm not mad." Cedric replied. He kept his back to the princess and turned his attention to cleaning the mess the witch had left behind. "I do have one major concern, however."

"A concern?" Sofia blinked at the back of Cedric's head before realizing she should be helping him clean up. The mess was entirely her fault, after all. She scurried over to his desk to pick up some vials Lucinda had left sitting out. "What's your concern?"

Cedric paused in cleaning and glanced over his shoulder at the princess. "You're not going to tell your little witch friend that I was impressed with her location spell, are you?"

Sofia shook her head immediately in response. "No. Of course I..." Then his words struck her. She nearly dropped the armful of vials she had been carrying. Her stomach cinched in knots and she whirled around to see him staring at her, displaying the ring that had been missing from her finger. "You remember."

"I remember." Cedric repeated. "Though I might have merely mistook it for a fever dream, had I not awakened to find myself in the attic with you sprawled across my chest."

Sofia's face reddened and she averted her gaze from Cedric in a panic, choosing instead to put the vials back in their rightful place. "M-Mr. Cedric, I'm so sorry! I never meant for any of that to happen!"

"That may be, But it happened none-the-less, didn't it?" Cedric crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his desk. "You've put me in a terribly difficult situation, Princess."

"I know." Sofia whispered, cringing at the thought that Cedric's next words would be to tell her to get out of his workshop and never come back. "I wish I could just-"

"Stop." Cedric held his hand up and shook his head at the girl. "No more wishing while you're wearing the amulet. It's caused enough damage already."

Sofia winced at his words. Damage. Her careless wish the day before had caused damage. Caused _him_ damage. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said all those things! The younger you was right... I _am_ an idiot."

"No, I'm the idiot." Cedric said with a sigh. "I'm not a blind man, Princess. It isn't as though I haven't noticed certain _things_. What you said to me last night only confirmed what I had already long suspected. You complained that we aren't close anymore and surely you must understand that these feelings of yours are part of the reason why."

Sofia bowed her head shamefully but managed a nod and reply. "Yes, Mr. Cedric."

"You should know, however, that your feelings alone are not to blame for my distance." Cedric spoke, cautious of his next words. "You are... quite possibly the dearest person to me, Sofia. No person's opinion of me matters quite as much as yours and I would be lying if I told you that your affections mean nothing to me. Quite honestly, they mean _everything_ to me."

Sofia's gaze snapped up and she looked at Cedric in disbelief. "R-really?"

"Yes." Cedric nodded before continuing hesitantly. "But for the life of me I've been trying not to nurture any ideas that may have come to mind about what the future might hold because of all of this."

"Why?" Sofia's brow furrowed as she shook her head. "Mr. Cedric-"

"Your seventeenth birthday is only a few months away, is it not?" Cedric asked, though he knew the date precisely.

Sofia nodded eagerly, a hopeful smile blossoming onto her face. "Yes. I'll be old enough to begin the courtship process, assuming I find a suitor."

"Oh, I have no doubt in my mind you'll find a suitor." Cedric said, returning the girl's smile despite that his wasn't so happy. "You remember the week before your sister's cotillion, I assume."

Sofia stopped to remember that particular week, though it wasn't hard to recall. Letters of intent had flooded in from all over the world from would-be suitors hoping to secure an invitation to Amber's cotillion. It had taken them nearly the entire week to sort through all the letters. She let out a small laugh at the memory of sitting in a large sorting room with her mother and Violet while Amber loomed over them in desperate search of a letter from a certain unnamed prince she had hoped would show interest. "Poor Violet had so many paper cuts she had to stop sorting before we were even finished."

"I imagine Violet will have quite a few more paper cuts in store once your seventeenth birthday draws nearer." Cedric replied. "You'll have so many letters of intent you won't know what to do with yourself. I dare say that you'll have far more letters than your sister."

Sofia shrugged and looked to Cedric in confusion. "I suppose I might. But I don't know why we're talking about that."

"Because right now your options are limited. It makes sense that you would cling to the most appealing thing you could find when you have so little to choose from. But soon you'll have a vast array of choices and things will surely change when you can have your pick." Cedric looked the princess over calmly but she still had an expression on her face as though she didn't understand. "I mean your pick of men, of course."

"What? No." Sofia shook her head and took a timid step toward the man. "I already know who I want. I want _you_ , Mr. Cedric."

"Yes, I suppose you do." Cedric muttered. "But the teenage heart is fickle and I fully expect these affections of yours to fade the instant you realize how many available men there are showing interest in you. You'll have suitors fawning over you left and right. Many of them will be handsome or wealthy or powerful. Perhaps you'll be lucky and find a man who is all of those things. He'll whisk you away to some far off kingdom and you'll forget all about whatever trifling feelings you thought you may have had for me."

"Mr. Cedric..." Sofia spoke, her voice cracking as a lump began to rise in her throat. "That isn't fair of you to say."

"It's only my assessment, my dear." Cedric offered, though he knew it didn't dull the pain of his words. "I'm sorry if it hurts to hear. I just want to be honest with you because I care about you and your well-being. I know in recent years it may have seemed as though that isn't the case but rest assured, you are every bit as dear to me as you have always been. I just want what's best for you, Sofia."

"Mr. Cedric, I-" Sofia began to speak but the sharp sound of a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Cedric?" Baileywick's voice rang out from the other side of the heavy, wooden portal. "Is Princess Sofia in there? One of the servants said they thought they saw her coming this way."

Cedric moved swiftly to the door and pulled it open for the castle steward to enter. "Yes, she's here."

"There you are, Sofia! We've been looking for you everywhere!" Baileywick chided but as he stepped further into the room and saw that the princess appeared to be upset his tone changed. "Is everything alright, Princess?"

"E-everything is fine, Baileywick." Sofia lied before doing her best to paint on as sincere of a smile as she could muster. "Mr. Cedric and I were just discussing some things."

"Her cotillion, mostly." Cedric added for clarification. "Quite an exciting time for a young woman. We'll have to pull out all the stops for this one. After all, it's the last one this castle will see for quite a long time."

"Yes, it will be extravagant. There's no doubt about that. But Sofia, honey, you have months to plan for that and traditionally the planning should be done by your parents anyhow." Baileywick reached out to pat the girl on the head and motioned for her to follow him. "Now come along. Your family will be arriving home from Rudistan within the hour and you'll want to be prepared to greet them."

"Baileywick, do you think I could have just one more moment with Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked quietly. "Please?"

"Princess, this poor man has been searching all over this castle for you, I'm sure." Cedric said in protest. "You really shouldn't keep him waiting any longer."

Sofia ignored Cedric's words and kept her gaze on the steward. "I won't be long. Please wait for me downstairs, Baileywick."

Baileywick shifted a knowing glance between the two before he let out a heavy sigh and pulled out his pocket watch. "Very well. You have sixty seconds."

"Thank you, Baileywick." Sofia watched the man retreat down the stairs before turning back to face Cedric. "I already know everything you're going to say so please just spare me the lecture because I don't have a lot of time. I-I love you, Mr. Cedric. I love you and that is something that is never going to change no matter how much you keep insisting that it will. I know you're going to keep me at a distance now more than ever and I understand that's how it has to be for a while. But you're right, my cotillion will be preceded by letters of intent and there will probably be so many it will leave my head spinning. I just hope that yours is among the rest because there _can_ be a future for us if you let there be."

Cedric opened his mouth to dismiss the girl's words but he was stopped when she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Despite his better judgment he returned her embrace, pulling her a bit closer than he probably should have.

Sofia stood on tiptoe as she pulled back from the hug and placed a kiss on Cedric's cheek. She then turned a bashful gaze away from him and started down the stairs to where Baileywick stood, his eyes fixated on his pocket watch.

"Right on time, Princess." Baileywick said with a smirk. "I hope for your sake you're not the only one who's punctual."

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AN #2: I really liked the idea of a yearlong courtship from **Jessibelle811** 's delectable little oneshot _Seven Months_ (please go read it if you haven't already) because it just seems like a formality that would need to be followed when courting royalty. After all, it would make sense to ensure that the relationship is going to be viable, as I'm certain divorce is definitely not an option. Therefore, there is a cotillion (or débutante ball, if you prefer) for the young women when they turn seventeen to introduce them to potential suitors and begin the courtship process, if they so choose. Just a little background info for the discussions had in this chapter.


	6. Letters of Intent

AN: Here we are at the last chapter! I struggled a bit with this ending. I didn't want it to be too angsty but there had to be a bit of angst, right? It should be noted that I absolutely suck at happy endings so if this isn't as "happily ever after" as you were hoping, I'm sorry.

I hope you enjoy! As always, thanks for the reviews!

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It was the middle of the night and everyone in the kingdom of Enchancia was well rooted in the land of dreams. Everyone, that is, except for Princess Sofia. She lay in her bed staring up at the canopy overhead, deep in thought much like she was every night. It had been nine months since that calamitous night when she had confessed her feelings to a teenage Cedric, unwitting that he would remember once he returned to his normal self. Things had changed quite noticeably since then and none of it had been for the better.

Cedric had completely shut her out of his life. He wouldn't look at her, he wouldn't speak to her, he wouldn't even stand in the same room as her. She tried to be understanding. She told herself that it was only temporary and that things would improve once she was old enough for courtship but it still cut her like a knife to watch him leave the room every time she entered it without so much as even a passing glance.

The only thing that kept her from wallowing in self-pity was the idea that her seventeenth birthday drew nearer and nearer every day.

She passed her time waiting eagerly for the week of her cotillion and for the onslaught of letters she knew would come. Cedric had been right, she'd received a handful more letters than Amber had and she didn't quite know what to do with herself. Both she and her sister were on edge as they sorted through all the letters of intent; Amber worried that Sofia may have received a letter from the prince _she_ had been hoping to hear from at her own cotillion and Sofia was concerned that somehow, someway, Cedric's letter would get lost amongst all the others.

But she had checked and double checked and even triple checked a few piles. There was no such letter from her mentor.

She didn't let despair sink in immediately. There was still time for him to hand deliver one. Or perhaps, she reasoned, he had deemed the concept of a letter of intent far too sleazy for his liking. But then her cotillion came and went without so much as a word from him. To add insult to injury, Baileywick informed her that Cedric had put in several hours helping to decorate for the ball and made certain, to the point of being meticulous, that everything was perfect.

And everything _would_ have been perfect... if only he'd been there.

Three months since then and still nothing. Just nothing. That was all she could think about as she stared up at the crêpe fabric draped overhead; that all of her words and efforts had been for nothing.

Her stomach felt twisted up inside but no amount of feeling sorry for herself seemed to ease the sensation. She knew laying awake every night stewing over her problems wasn't helping but she couldn't force her mind to stop thinking about it. So she tossed and turned and slept only four hours a night if she was lucky.

She held the Amulet of Avalor clenched in her hand, rubbing it like a worry stone. The thought had occurred to her, more times than she cared to admit, to simply wish Cedric back to his teenage self. It would be simple enough to do and even easier to explain away to anyone who might question what had happened to the man. _Magical mishap_ was a common term used when something went awry in the magical world and nobody seemed to ask anything beyond that explanation.

Sofia knew Cedric wouldn't turn her away if he was his teenage self. He would embrace her with open arms. He already had once and he likely would again if he realized she meant to keep him around. But she knew that it was wrong to even consider such an option. She felt guilt-ridden just thinking about it and that only caused her stomach to knot up even more.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she rolled over onto her side, trying to just close her eyes and shut off her brain. She breathed deeply a few times and it began to help. Slumber seemed like it was ready to reach out to her and pull her into its arms when the sound of tapping at her bedroom window jolted her from the in between realm of asleep and awake. She threw her covers back and stared in the direction of the window with wide eyes.

She swung her legs off the bed and slid her feet into her slippers. In the back of her mind she wondered if she had heard a tapping that wasn't there. After all, she was well aware that enough sleep deprivation over time could cause one to slip slowly into madness. Maybe this was the beginning of that.

But as she reached out and pulled back the drapes she saw a small silver ring gleaming in the moonlight on her window sill. Her brow furrowed at the sight. The ring appeared familiar to her but her tired mind couldn't place the memory. She opened the window and reached out to grab the ring, the little bauble inlaid in the band giving a burst of light as she touched it.

Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as realization flooded over her. It was the ring from Lucinda's location spell. The last time she had seen it, Cedric held it in his hand and it had no longer been glowing so she had assumed the spell wore off. Now as she held it between her fingers it gave a faint glow, shooting off in the direction of her bedroom door.

She started to follow the light but doubt crawled within her. Perhaps this was Wormwood's doing. The raven liked to meddle on occasion and the ring could be nothing more than the feathery fiend causing trouble for the sake of causing trouble. Sofia steeled herself, however, deciding that even if it was just a wretched trick by the raven she needed to go where the ring led her.

She hurried from her room through the castle halls and she couldn't help but note that it felt a lot like _that night_. She even felt a sense of urgency as she went along, as though something terrible might happen if she didn't make it in time. In time for what? She didn't know but she kept up a brisk pace.

The light led her along the same path she had traveled too many times to count on her trips to see Cedric over the years. She tried to stay resolute but her determination gave way to apprehension the closer she got. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to his workshop. A handful of deep breaths kept her moving forward until she stood on the landing staring at the door ahead of her. The light was urging her forward but she didn't know if she should follow any further. The idea of Cedric's reaction (or lack there of) to her coming all the way to his workshop in the middle of the night was enough to deter her from continuing on. Instead she placed the ring on the floor and gave it a gentle flick, sending it through the gap under the door.

She turned away feeling foolish for even bothering to come that far in the first place. Discouraged with her own actions she started back down the stairs but the sound of the door creaking open behind her caused her to freeze in her footsteps. She tensed in concern, daring a glance over her shoulder to see Cedric standing there staring down at her.

There was silence between them for what seemed like an eternity. She felt like a child caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. She knew she had to offer an explanation. "I-I was just returning the ring. It ended up outside my window by mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake." Cedric replied quietly. He exited the workshop and took a few steps in the direction of the princess but stopped short of the stairs. "I had Wormwood place it outside your window."

Sofia's brow crinkled in confusion and she turned back to face the man. "Why would you do that?"

"I had hoped you would use it for its intended purpose." Cedric answered. "The ring was made to lead you to me, after all. It seems it has done precisely that."

Sofia started back up the stairs until she stood on the landing facing Cedric. "Why did you want the ring to lead me to you?"

"I thought it was time we talk." Cedric spoke hesitantly. "And I couldn't very well come to you in the middle of the night considering-"

"Cedric..." Sofia shook her head and looked at the man in disbelief. "It's been nine months..."

"Yes, I know." Cedric averted his gaze from the young woman and lowered his head. "And it has been awful for you, I'm sure."

"Awful doesn't even begin to describe it." Sofia said, her voice warbling. She continued on, doing her best to speak without sounding on the verge of tears. "You've been acting as though I don't even exist. Do you know how that feels?"

Cedric looked to the princess, regret etched into his features. He knew exactly how it felt and the idea that he'd caused her so much pain disturbed him greatly. "I was only trying to do what I thought was best for you. I wanted to give you time to clear your head of me and everything that happened that night. You're a young woman with a multitude of options. I couldn't allow your mind to be clouded with the idea of... of someone like me."

Sofia let out a breath in the form of a scoff and stared up at Cedric. "And now what? What's changed that you feel you can speak to me again?"

"I overheard your chambermaid speaking with Baileywick." Cedric muttered, stepping closer to the young woman. "She said she thinks you haven't been sleeping. That much is evident in the circles under your eyes." He paused to reach up and caress the fragile flesh under her left eye with his thumb. He then moved forward and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "And you've gotten thinner for someone already so small. You haven't been eating much, have you?"

Sofia blushed lightly at the nearness of the man. It had been so long since she had been so close, she almost forgot what it felt like to be close enough to inhale the scent of him. But she was still upset and she was not going to let him off that easily. She pushed back from him despite every inch of her body wanting to just lean into him and never let go. "You don't need to worry about any of that. Those are concerns for my future husband."

"You've chosen a suitor, then?" Cedric asked forlornly.

"No. I..." Sofia cast her eyes downward and wrapped her arms around herself. "There was no one I was interested in. I just meant that _if_ I choose a suitor my sleeping and eating habits will be _his_ to worry about; not Violet's, not Baileywick's and certainly not yours."

Cedric couldn't fight the small snicker that slipped from his lips at the princess' stubborn response but the snippet of joy was quickly overpowered by his sense of guilt. "Forgive me. I can't help but worry about you. I feel responsible for the state you're in. I realize there is a direct correlation between my treatment of you and your current condition."

Sofia kept her gaze away from Cedric and tightened her grip on herself. "You wouldn't be wrong."

"I'm so sorry, Sofia." Cedric spoke softly. "You have every right to be cross with me."

"I don't mean to be so snippy." Sofia said, raising her gaze to the man before her. "I'm sure everything I say sounds like it's dripping with disdain. Honestly, I _haven't_ been sleeping well. I'm exhausted and I know it makes me unpleasant."

"Well, i-if you'd like to come in for a moment I have a special potion brewing that could help alleviate some of your ailments." Cedric offered nervously.

Sofia blinked in surprise at Cedric's words. "A-are you sure? I know you're concerned with appearances and-"

"I've never been more certain." Cedric replied. He stepped aside and motioned for the young woman to enter his workshop. "Please come in."

Sofia took a cautious step forward. Perhaps she _had_ finally slipped into insanity after all. Considering the strain between her and Cedric the past nine months it seemed unreal that he would be inviting her into his workshop or even speaking to her at all for that matter. She walked in feeling a bit on edge, a stark contrast to how at home she used to feel in the space. Her eyes floated around the room and she noted that nothing had changed. Everything was still in the place where it had been the last time she'd set foot in there.

Her wandering eyes were caught off guard by Cedric holding up a teacup in her line of sight. She accepted the cup from his hands and examined it closely. It was filled with a liquid so dark brown it was nearly black. A somewhat earthy, nutty aroma wafted up from the steaming fluid and she decided that it was actually quite pleasant. She watched Cedric take a cup of his own and drink from it so she mimicked in blind faith.

She began coughing and sputtering, the flavor far more bitter than she'd expected from something that smelled rather inviting. She looked to Cedric with wide, horrified eyes and did her best to mask the look of disgust on her face. "What kind of potion _is_ this?"

"It's coffee." Cedric replied with a small smile. "It's like tea only much more robust. It takes some getting used to but its potent nature will have you feeling better in no time."

Sofia eyed the contents of the cup warily but she didn't want to seem rude so she continued to sip on the drink sparingly, fighting a grimace each time.

Cedric watched the princess trying her hardest to stomach her drink. Each sip brought a look of death to her face but she forged on anyhow. He had to commend her. For a first time drinker she was handling the strong drink well, or perhaps she was just that eager to please him.

He decided to offer her a distraction in the form of conversation. "It occurred to me that King Magnus' ball is once again approaching in a few months and you will still be unable to attend because of your age. I'm sure that must be frustrating."

"Not as much as I thought it would be." Sofia responded, thankful for the break in silence to excuse her from the coffee. "Last year it bothered me but this year I don't think I care to go. I think I've had my fill of extravagant parties after my cotillion."

"Oh?" Cedric took a sip from his cup and looked at the princess in interest. "Considering your disappointment last year I thought you'd be just as upset this year."

Sofia paused in thought before smiling softly and shaking her head. "No. It doesn't bother me anymore."

"That's a shame." Cedric replied, hiding a growing smile behind his teacup. "And here I thought I would play the hero for once."

Sofia cocked her head to the side and looked at Cedric in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought for certain that you would be just as bothered by your exclusion from King Magnus' festivities as you were last year. I was hoping to offer you the comfort of an alternative. But if you're done with extravagant parties..." Cedric trailed off and continued to drink his coffee as he watched the girl. She stayed speechless but the expression on her face showed that it would be near torture for her if he didn't elaborate. "You see, the Sorcerer's Soirée is being held tomorrow evening and I thought that perhaps you might like to go. W-with me, I mean."

Sofia stared at Cedric in shock, her hands beginning to tremble a bit. Her voice failed her for a long while before she managed something akin to a response. "Cedric, I..."

"I understand if you're still too upset with me." Cedric said as he set his cup of coffee aside. "I know these past nine months have not been the ideal set up for me to express my intent of courtship and I accept full responsibility for that. I just hope that I didn't wait too long in my attempts to give you space."

Sofia put her teacup aside and stared at Cedric from across the way. There was so much she wanted to say to him and she wasn't sure she had enough time in the night to say it all. She tried anyhow. "You ignored me, Cedric. For nine months. I told you I loved you and your response to that was to treat me like I was a ghost in my own home. I tried to excuse that behavior because I expected it the moment I realized you remembered everything we said and did that night. I can forgive the first six months of isolation for the sake of doing what is proper but there is no excusing the past three months. You say you were giving me space to clear my head of you but I don't think that's the whole truth. I think you were giving yourself space to clear your head of me."

Cedric looked away from the young woman. Her accusatory tone and the quake in her voice were almost too much to bear. "You're right, Sofia. You're exactly right. Truthfully, I was trying to protect myself just as much as I was trying to protect you. I knew how you felt for me back then and I relished in it but I also believed that once you turned seventeen you would have so many men fawning over you, you would have no more need of me. I didn't want to feel like you were slipping from my grasp so I cut ties completely to spare myself the torture. Only, I didn't spare myself any torture. These past nine months have been hell for me as well. It makes me feel worse to think that I could have stopped it at any time. If I had bothered to look at you even once I would have seen that I was causing you nothing but suffering. Instead I had to hear it secondhand from a concerned chambermaid."

"I guess I just don't understand how you could..." Sofia paused, trying to find the words to express what she wanted to say. "I mean, the morning after _that night_ you made it very clear you reciprocated my feelings. Typically, when two people feel that way for each other they try to come together. So what I don't understand is how you could want to push me away in spite of that."

Cedric inhaled sharply and did his best to meet the princess' gaze. It took him a moment before he was able to look her in the eye but she didn't appear to be angry as he suspected she might. She was only staring at him calmly, awaiting his response. "I didn't _want_ to push you away but I thought it would be better for us both that way. I didn't know it would have this effect on you. I thought you would be fine. I thought you would move on and be happy. That was all I wanted for you, Sofia. For you to have a chance at happiness. As per usual, my attempts at doing the right thing backfired on me horrendously and I hurt you instead. A-and I know my paltry invitation doesn't make up for what I put you through. I guess I just... I had hoped that... I-I don't know what I was thinking."

"I don't know what you were thinking either." Sofia replied softly before allowing a small smile to blossom onto her face. "I mean, typically when a suitor invites a princess to any sort of event he offers her flowers. You've got a lot to learn if you're serious about your intent of courtship."

"Sofia-" Cedric began to speak but he was cut off by the young woman bolting forward to throw her arms around him.

Sofia pressed her lips to Cedric's and kissed him sweetly as he pulled her close against him. Everything else she had wanted to say to him seemed unimportant in that moment. She slid a hand up to cup the back of his head and parted her lips to deepen the kiss. He seemed all too happy to oblige as his fingers found their way into her hair, his tongue brushing desperately against hers. She felt her heart racing as their kiss shifted from tender to passionate and needful in a matter of seconds.

She pulled back before lust could take control of the situation and pressed her forehead against his. "You know, I was serious about those flowers."

A small chuckle fell from Cedric's lips and shook his head at her words. "My dear, I will give you an entire garden of flowers. Just say yes..."

* * *

AN #2: That's it! The end! I'll leave it up to your imagination what she said in response and what happened afterward ;)

Thank you again for all the reviews and support! You guys are fantastic! Hope to see you around my next fic!


	7. Alternate Ending

AN: So truth be told, I really didn't like the chapter I ended the story with. I wrote this alternate ending instead. I like this one much better despite its lack of angst (I live for the angst.) I guess I just didn't like the idea of Sofia bellyaching and feeling sorry for herself.

So here is this alternate ending. I hope you enjoy it! I think I definitely prefer it to the other. Let me know what you think and thank you, as always, for reading!

* * *

"You have more than I did!" Amber said as she gawked over the tally marks on the parchment in her hand. Two-hundred and seven. Sofia had two-hundred and seven letters of intent. She herself had received one-hundred and ninety-two and that was quite the unheard of number. Now her younger sister had topped that number by fifteen additional letters. It was almost too much to bear. "How is that possible!?"

"Well, Amber..." Miranda began slowly as her eyes read over one of the letters of intent. "Sofia was born a commoner and that makes her seem more obtainable to a wider demographic of men. She's received a lot more letters from commoners than you did but she also received a lot less from royals and nobles than you did. Come to think of it, outside of one plucky young man from the village and a handful of gentry, your letters of intent were predominantly from royalty. Sofia's are more spread out amongst the classes."

"You're not going to invite them _all_ to the cotillion, are you?" Amber asked nervously. "I mean, we can't have peasants rubbing elbows with haut monde."

"Amber." Miranda paused from reading the letter in her hands to look up at her eldest daughter in annoyance. "This is Sofia's cotillion. Sofia gets to choose which potential suitors she wants to invite and which ones she doesn't."

"Well, you don't want a big cotillion, right, Sofia?" Amber said hopefully, her gaze flying to her sister. But Sofia seemed to be frantic with concern as she sifted through her stack of letters before moving to shift through Violet's. "Sofia? Sofia, are you even listening?"

Sofia's gaze snapped up at Amber's voice calling her name and she looked to her sister curiously. "Hmm?"

"I said you don't want a big cotillion. Right? I mean, remember how big and extravagant mine was? And there were so many men there. It was probably the biggest cotillion on record. Surely you wouldn't want to try and surpass that, right?" Amber said as she folded her hands pleadingly. "Right?"

Sofia gave her sister a soft smile and shook her head. "No, I wouldn't want to have a bigger cotillion than you. Just something small is nice. After all, I'm not really interested in any of this."

"Oh, but sweetheart, don't you want to fall in love one day?" Miranda asked as she peeled her eyes from the letter to stare longingly at her daughter. "Any one of these men is a potentially great suitor."

"Except for this one." Violet chimed in, holding up a letter she had just finished reading. "Another filthy little blighter slipped through the cracks."

Miranda rolled her eyes as Violet tossed the no doubt uncouth letter in the rubbish pile. It was disturbing to her how many men liked to use a letter of intent to write dirty things to her daughter. "Well, lechers aside, there is bound to be someone in here that will make your heart soar but you'll never know if you don't meet him."

"She's already met someone." Amber said with a cunning smile as she looked her sister over. "That's why she's been checking the piles so frantically."

Miranda's eyes grew wide and her gaze flew from Amber to Sofia. "Is it true, sweetheart? Have you already met someone?"

Sofia's heart skipped a beat and she averted her gaze away from the three other women in the room. "There's definitely someone I was hoping to receive a letter from but I haven't got it yet. I'm still hoping to get it in time."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart!" Miranda replied with a wide smile. "But you don't have to wait for a letter. If you want someone at your cotillion, just invite this person."

"She can't do that!" Amber cried out. "That's just not the proper way to host a cotillion! You can't seek out a man on your own. They're meant to court us, not the other way around."

Miranda shrugged and looked from Amber to Sofia. "It may not be the proper way to do it but it's a lot better than waiting on a letter that may never come. Some people are afraid to put themselves out there and if you wait around for this person rather than taking action, you may regret it for the rest of your life."

Sofia stared at the ground in thought. Her mother's words definitely struck a chord with her. She could sit around waiting for Cedric to make a move or she could do something about it herself. She looked up at her mother before turning her gaze over Amber and Violet. "Would you all mind if I took a quick break?"

"Not at all sweetheart." Miranda replied, looking to her daughter curiously. "Are you feeling overwhelmed?"

"No, I just... there's something I need to do." Sofia said as she rushed out the door.

Amber scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where is she going at a critical time like this!?"

"Probably to talk to this person she was hoping to hear from." Miranda answered, turning her attention back to her stack of letters.

"No doubt about it." Violet agreed, a knowing smile finding its way to the chambermaid's face. "I wonder what Mr. Cedric is going to say."

…

Sofia tried to calm her heart as it raced in her chest. She stood outside of Cedric's workshop with her hand poised to knock on the door but she'd been unable to make a move for well over thirty seconds. Cedric hadn't spoken to her since she'd turned him back to his normal self and she understood that it had to be that way for propriety's sake but it still made for uncomfortable moments of silence when they crossed paths. Now she stood trying to think over exactly what she might say to him.

Before she could decide on anything, however, the door opened. But rather than Cedric standing there she saw Baileywick exiting the room with her old apprentice bag in hand. She looked to the castle steward in confusion before looking to the bag. "Baileywick, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Princess Sofia!" Baileywick smiled at the young woman as he closed the door behind him. "Cedric had me grab some things for him."

"That's not like Cedric to have someone going through his things." Sofia replied, her brow furrowing. "What is he so busy doing that he wouldn't just get them himself?"

"Why, helping decorate for your cotillion, of course!" Baileywick said with a smile. "Everyone in the castle is abuzz with excitement. It's looking like it will be the grandest cotillion we've ever had and Cedric is helping to make it that way. It's strange, he never struck me as a perfectionist but he's really putting his all into helping make the decorations spectacular."

"But..." Sofia looked up at Baileywick, growing even more perplexed. "Why?"

Baileywick cast the girl a sly smirk as he bypassed her. "One would assume it's because he cares a great deal for you, Princess. It seems clear to me that he wants your cotillion to be as special as it can be for you. You should be sure to leave him a thank you note. Perhaps somewhere he's sure to see it?"

"R-right." Sofia nodded and waited for Baileywick to make his way down the stairs before she hurried into Cedric's workshop. It was devoid of life, for which she was thankful. She wasn't in the mood to listen to Wormwood's prodding at the moment.

She went immediately to Cedric's desk and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill. Without hesitation she scribbled her note on the paper; _"This is my letter of intent."_ She then took the note quickly to Cedric's bedroom. She wasn't hesitant to enter the room this time. Rather, she gave a small laugh at the memory of Lucinda telling her the first time wouldn't be the last time. The witch had been right after all.

She placed her note on Cedric's pillow, face up so that he would have no choice but to read it. She then started back out of the room and exited the workshop. There was still a lot to be done before the night of her cotillion.

…

"How did things go, Princess?" Violet asked quietly as she ran a brush through Sofia's auburn locks. "If you don't mind me asking."

Sofia looked up at Violet's reflection in the mirror. She'd been far away in thought about whether or not Cedric had read her note yet and she wasn't paying much mind to her chambermaid's words. "Hmm?"

"Things with your beloved." Violet elaborated. "If you don't mind me asking, I was curious to know how things went with Mr. Cedric."

Sofia's gaze widened before she looked away from Violet in embarrassment. "Have I been that obvious?"

"Not at all, Princess." Violet replied with a reassuring smile. "It's just that Mr. Baileywick has a keen eye. There's not much that goes on in these castle walls that he is unaware of. He asked me to keep a closer eye on you if you were ever to be around Mr. Cedric alone. I put two and two together myself. Am I wrong?"

"No, Violet. You're not wrong." Sofia said, shifting to lean forward on her dressing table. "Do you think I'm silly?"

"Not at all." Violet said, continuing to brush the princess' hair more out of habit than actual necessity. "Mr. Cedric seems like a fine man. He's a bit older than you but he's still very handsome. I don't know much about his personality because he always keeps to himself but he really seems to come alive when he's around you. He may be just as smitten with you as you are with him. At least, that's what I see. I'm sure he's relieved to know you feel the same."

"Relieved isn't the word I would use." Sofia said with a sigh.

"Oh, he'll come around." Violet replied, smiling widely. "You'll just have to be a wee bit patient. Sometimes men's hearts take some time to unlock. But I'm sure once he sees how beautiful you look at the cotillion he'll be changing his tune."

"I hope you're right, Violet." Sofia said quietly. "Because I-"

"Violet..." Amber said as she entered Sofia's room. "Please excuse us. Sofia and I need to speak."

Sofia turned a shocked gaze to her sister as she crossed the room. Her eyes darted to Violet who was exiting swiftly before they fell back to Amber. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in bed by now."

"I can't sleep." Amber said with a sigh. "There's something Violet said earlier today that's bothering me."

Sofia looked her sister over curiously and cocked her head to her side. "What would that be?"

"When you left in the middle of sorting letters today it was clear that you were running off to speak to this man you obviously have feelings for. Violet said... something." Amber replied, her lip curling in disgust at her next words. "I'm just going to come out and say it. Violet seemed to think you were going to talk to Cedric."

"Well, that's because I was." Sofia said with a shrug.

"Oh no. Violet was right?" Amber asked in slight horror. "You can't be in love with Cedric! You just can't be!"

Sofia looked at her sister in disbelief. "Why not?"

"Sofia, you're a princess! You need to be with someone worthy of a princess!" Amber said with a scoff. "Cedric is just the royal sorcerer! You know you'll never hold any title with someone like him. Besides, think about how it looks to everyone else. You're going to have a cotillion in a few days. How is it going to look when you say you want to let the royal sorcerer court you?"

"Actually, it's probably going to be the other way around." Sofia replied. "I gave Cedric a letter of intent."

Amber gasped and let out a long, wretched moan. "Oh Sofia. You just can't do something like that."

"Why not?" Sofia retorted. "Because it's not the traditional way to do it?"

"Exactly!" Amber groaned. "When you're royalty, things should be done a certain way. You should know that by now."

Sofia looked away from her sister in disappointment. "Did you react the same way when you found out your dad was marrying my mom?"

"Of course not." Amber said with a huff. "Daddy is the king and he can do whatever he wants. But don't think that there weren't whispers going around for years after that. And I don't want that to happen to you. I don't want people to whisper about you behind your back because you married beneath your class."

"I was born a commoner, Amber." Sofia reminded her sister. "Marrying Cedric would be marrying up."

"But you're a princess now! And there are so many eligible kings and princes out there." Amber said, forcing a smile to try and sooth the irritation she could see growing within her sister.

"Then why aren't you married yet?" Sofia asked, though she already knew the answer.

Amber's eyes darted away from her sister and she tried to hide the blush coming to her face. "The right prince hasn't asked me yet."

"And he may never ask." Sofia said with a sigh. "Amber, I know you want things to be done the traditional way but sometimes that just isn't an option. You were so disappointed when Zandar didn't send you a letter of intent but you still haven't done anything about it. All this time has gone by and you're still waiting around for him when you could reach out at any time and grab what you want. Who cares what other people think?"

"I care." Amber replied. "And you can't even compare the two things. Zandar is a prince. Cedric is the royal sorcerer."

"You think people wouldn't cock an eyebrow at you marrying into a culture like Zandar's?" Sofia said with a shake of her head. "Everyone has something to say about everything. You and Zandar wouldn't be above scrutiny but I have no doubt in my mind that you would marry him in an instant if you could."

Amber rolled her eyes and moved to lean against her sister's dressing table. "How did we start talking about me? I came here to talk you out of wanting to be with Cedric."

"I'm afraid you're not going to be very successful." Sofia replied. "I think I tried talking myself out of it for a long time before I just accepted it. And Cedric too. He said my feelings for him are fleeting but here I am... hoping beyond all hope that he'll show up at my cotillion and tell me he's ready."

Amber looked her sister over in thought for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "How long have you felt this way for him?"

"I think it started around my fifteenth birthday." Sofia began with a small smile. "He gave me the most exquisite wand case to go with the wand he'd given me the year before. He of course gifted it to me under the guise of it being my graduation as his apprentice but inside he left a note telling me that he knew I would accomplish great things and that he was extremely proud of me. The idea of him being proud of me made me feel different from when mom or dad would be proud of me. It made my heart race. That was when I started to notice things about him I guess I never really noticed before; things that made me feel butterflies... and then other things that started to light me on fire."

Amber flushed a bit at her sister's candidness about her sexual desire but it wasn't anything she was unused to. "Please spare me the grisly details."

Sofia gave a laugh in response to her sister's squirming. "It's nothing worse than all those novels you keep hidden under your bed that you think nobody knows about."

"Hey!" Amber reached out and tapped Sofia's arm a little less than gently. "Those have nothing to do with this. Carry on with your story."

Sofia cast Amber a look before continuing on. "I noticed these feelings for Cedric right around the time I noticed that he was starting to be less and less available to me. He'd always say he was busy even though I knew he wasn't or he would tell me that Baileywick was looking for me even though Baileywick was almost never looking for me. It started to make me feel confused. I had these feelings but then Cedric was pushing me away. I started to wonder if they were just purely sexual desires, but then something happened six months ago that made me realize it was more than just that."

Amber looked to Sofia in discomfort. "Please tell me you two didn't-"

"No!" Sofia blushed brightly and looked away from her sister. "No, it wasn't like that at all. It was just something strange that happened because of the magic of my amulet. I was able to _really_ talk to him for the first time in a long time and all these feelings just sort of came tumbling out. I couldn't hide them anymore and I really didn't want to after that. So I've been waiting since then for my cotillion so that Cedric and I can move forward. But he never sent me a letter of intent."

"So you decided to give him one yourself." Amber said softly. She reached out and clasped her sister's hand tightly, giving the younger princess a warm smile. "I'm so sorry for not being supportive of you. I know how it feels to be in love with someone and to be waiting around for them to just acknowledge you. It's awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially my sister. Cedric may not be anything more than a royal sorcerer to the rest of us but to you he's the man you want to be with. I shouldn't try to stop you if you really do love him."

Sofia smiled up at her sister and gave the older woman's hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Amber."

…

Sofia let out a heavy sigh and looked around nervously. Her cotillion ball was in full swing and all around there were eligible bachelors eager to grab her attention but none of them were the man she was hoping for. She had thankfully decided to invite only a third of the men who had sent her letters of intent but even still, the number of suitors vying for her hand was intimidating.

Even with a handful of her friends as maids of honor to keep the men entertained she still felt overwhelmed by the whole experience.

Her eyes darted over the sea of handsome faces in search of the one she wanted to see most when she was caught off guard by someone bumping into her intentionally.

"He's not here, you know." Lucinda said with a wide smile. "I mean, he's here in the castle of course. He's just not here at your ball."

Sofia blushed lightly and looked away from Lucinda. "I was hoping he would show. He went through all the trouble to make it look so fantastic, I thought that maybe-"

"Is that why this place reeks of his magic?" Lucinda asked, snickering a bit. "And here I thought he was just skulking in the shadows somewhere."

Sofia averted her gaze away from the witch and wrapped her arms around herself. All around, her friends seemed to be having a good time. Ruby, Jade, Jun and Vivian were dancing with some of her potential suitors while Hildegard and Clio were schmoozing with the only two princes at the ball, James being one of them. Everyone else seemed to be having an infinitely better time than she was. She inhaled deeply and turned to look at the witch beside her. "Thanks for being here, Lucinda. You didn't have to come. I know this isn't exactly your type of party."

"Are you kidding me? A ball at the castle, free food and plenty of booze? Obviously I was going to come!" Lucinda replied with a chuckle before shifting to drape her arm over Sofia's shoulder. "Of course I came. You're my friend and I wanted to be here for you. Besides, I was curious to see if he would show up. I was really routing for your happily ever after."

"Really?" Sofia asked with a cocked eyebrow. "You don't even like Cedric."

"Not really, no." Lucinda said with a shrug. "But you're in love with him and I'm your friend. I want to see you happy."

"Thanks Lucinda." Sofia said, turning to pull the witch into her embrace. "You're a good friend."

"I am, aren't I?" Lucinda replied as she pulled back from the princess. "So what do you want to do? You want me to go to his tower and drag him down here by force? You know I would do it gladly."

A small giggle fell from Sofia's lips at the image of Lucinda yanking Cedric downstairs by his ear. "No. You can't do anything like that."

Lucinda let out a snort and rolled her eyes. "Well, then what are you going to do? Sit around here all night and sulk?"

"No." Sofia replied softly. "I'll probably just wait for..." She trailed off in thought before she returned her gaze to Lucinda and gave her friend a determined smile, clenching her fists at her sides. "No. I'm not going to sit around and wait."

Lucinda looked Sofia over curiously, intrigued by the young woman's expression of confidence. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go do something about it." Sofia said as she turned away from Lucinda and pulled her skirt up enough to ease her movements. She made her way out of the ballroom and hurried through the halls toward Cedric's workshop, her heart soaring. She climbed the stairs rapidly and raised her hand to knock on the door before deciding that she didn't care to wait for him to answer. She threw the door open and stood staring in but Cedric wasn't in the workshop. Her gaze flew to Wormwood who seemed shocked to see her. "Where is he?"

"His bedroom." Wormwood answered. "What on earth are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your frilly little ball?"

Sofia ignored Wormwood and started for Cedric's bedroom. Again, it occurred to her to knock before entering but she chose not to. She opened the door to see the man sitting at his desk. A quick glance at his hands showed that he was holding her note. Her eyes darted back to his face to see the look of surprise painted there and she smiled. "I see you got my letter of intent."

"What are you doing here?" Cedric asked, tucking the note away. "You should be downstairs enjoying your cotillion. The servants worked hard to-"

"You worked hard." Sofia said, closing the distance between them. "You made my cotillion extravagant and beautiful. It was everything I ever dreamed it could be. It was almost perfect... but you weren't there."

Cedric averted his gaze from the princess and sighed. "Sofia-"

"Do you love me, Cedric?" Sofia asked, staring down at the man who remained in his seat. "Do you feel the same way for me that I feel for you?"

"Sofia, please don't make me answer that." Cedric muttered. "You already know the answer."

Sofia crossed her arms over her chest at the man's response. "Do you remember that night in the attic? You were reading your journal to get a better understanding of yourself and you said something to me afterward. You said that your adult self wouldn't know a good thing if it bit you in the ass."

"That language is unbecoming of a princess." Cedric said quickly, hoping to avoid the question he somehow knew was coming.

"Am I that good thing, Cedric?" Sofia asked with an arched brow. "Because it definitely feels like I could be if you'd let me be. But you want to sit here and be stubborn."

Cedric glanced up at Sofia to see her staring down at him. He didn't want have this conversation with her and dig up all the uncomfortable emotions that denying her made him feel. He did his best to skirt the issue instead. "Sofia, it's the night of your cotillion. You have countless suitors downstairs waiting for you and-"

"And I'm up here with you." Sofia replied. "If that doesn't tell you I'm right where I want to be then I don't know what will. I don't want any of those suitors, Cedric. I want you. I told you I felt that way six months ago and that nothing would change. Well, guess what. _Nothing_ has changed. You said I would start to feel differently once I got my letters of intent but all those letters did was solidify how strongly I feel for you. It's clearer now more than ever. My heart is not fickle. It knows exactly what it wants."

Cedric cast his eyes away from the princess once more. It was hard to look at her given everything that had passed between them, especially since _that night_. He'd been having a difficult enough time trying to suppress his feelings for the young woman when he was keeping her at a distance. It was nearly impossible with her standing so near to him, spilling her heart to him all over again. Then, much to his dismay, he felt her hand grace against his cheek he knew it would be his undoing. "Sofia-"

"I love you, Cedric." Sofia said with a warm smile.

"Yes, I know." Cedric uttered, his eyes flickering back to hers. "And I love you as well, but-"

Sofia cut Cedric off with a kiss. Whatever he was going to say afterward, she didn't want to hear. _I love yous_ should never be accompanied by _howevers_. She then pulled back from the kiss and reached down to clasp Cedric's hands, pulling him up to stand before she dropped to her knees in front of him. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for you to decide whether or not you're ready to move forward with me. That note I wrote you was the real thing. It's my letter of intent to you. I need to know if you accept."

"Sofia, I..." Cedric stared down at the princess, flabbergasted by her actions. He shook his surprise away and began trying to pull her up. "G-get off the floor. Please. Your lovely gown-"

"I don't care about my gown. I don't care about tradition. I don't care about what other people think. I care about you, Cedric. I'm in love with you. I want to be with you. _That's_ what I care about. And I don't care if it takes one year or ten years to prove it to you, I will prove it." Sofia said as she stared up at him hopefully. "Now, will you accept my intent to court you?"

"No, Sofia." Cedric said immediately, shaking his head. "No, I can't do that."

Sofia's breath caught in her throat at Cedric's response. He loved her. She knew at least that much. She had been certain he'd at least entertain the idea before shutting her down entirely. "But Cedric-"

"What kind of man lets the woman he loves go through all the trouble of having to court him?" Cedric said with a scoff. "No, I can't allow that. I'm afraid the only way this will work is if I'm the one courting you."

"What do you mean?" Sofia asked, blinking up at the man in a mix of worry and hope.

"I suppose I mean that I should declare my intent." Cedric replied with a shrug as though the words carried no weight at all. Truthfully though, he was quaking inside at the idea of allowing himself to put so much on the line for the sake of being with the woman he loved but fighting it no longer seemed like an option and he was tired of fighting anyhow.

Sofia's heart skipped a beat at Cedric's words and she couldn't fight the bright smile that blossomed onto her face. "R-really?"

"Yes, really. Now will you please get off the floor? I'd like to do this properly, if that's even still possible." Cedric said, pulling the young woman to stand in front of him. He inhaled deeply, the gravity of the words he was about to say already weighing on his chest before they even had the chance to grace his lips. "Princess Sofia of Enchancia, would you do me the honor of accepting my intent of courtship?"

Sofia blushed shyly and looked up at the man from under heavily lidded eyes. "I thought you'd never ask."

Cedric cleared his throat and looked away from the young woman sheepishly. "Yes, well... that makes two of us. But that wasn't the response I was hoping for. I was hoping you'd say-"

"Yes, Cedric." Sofia replied, wrapping her arms around the man to pull him into her embrace. "Yes..."


End file.
